Spark to Believe

On their full-length debut, Miss Fortune let loose with a vigorous blend of sentimental pop-punk and post-hardcore drama with a metalcore edge on A Spark to Believe. While this sonic territory has been trodden before, few bands nail the right mix of these elements on their first outing quite like Miss Fortune has. Knowing that just because you're saying something loud doesn't mean you're saying anything worth hearing, the band use metal as an accent to their sound rather than the foundation. It's a move that makes A Spark to Believe sound more like an earnest outpouring of emotion than a furious temper tantrum, and it means that when things do get heavy, like in the punishing opening of "I've Got a Five Point Plan," you know that Miss Fortune mean business. And because they're not constantly screaming at the top of their lungs, the emotion on display here doesn't feel like an affectation. You can really feel the heartbroken desperation in "My Apologies," a song whose start/stop rhythms and plaintive punch feel reminiscent of emo greats like Braid. Although A Spark to Believe is, ostensibly, a breakup record, it's a surprisingly self-aware one. Instead of a series of songs ruminating on why things went wrong, the lyrics paint a portrait of a relationship that has ended after going off the rails long ago, making it more about dealing with the aftermath of a relationship than its actual dissolution. Generally, these kinds of bands need a bit of time to really find their legs and refine their sound, but Miss Fortune have managed to stick the landing on their first attempt, making A Spark to Believe a must-listen album for post-hardcore fans in search of an album that prizes depth over devastation. ~ Gregory Heaney